Starting mechanism for automobiles.



F. CONRAD & C. E. WILSON. STARTING- MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. m5.

1,246,057. Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

INVENTORS Frank Conrad 5r garles W/Ason.

. 7 AT'TQRNEY tric machines having reciprocating parts 0 op-' erativeconnection. with the shafts of in-.

, wheels, but they possess certain disadvan UNITED STATES. PATENTOFFICE.

FRANK CONRAD, OF PITTSBURGH, AND-CHARLES E. WILSON, OF WILKINSBURG,PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIG'NORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC PANY, A CORPORATIONOF PENNSYLVANIA.

AND MANUFACTURING COM- STABTI'NG MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

Application filed April 6, 1915. Serial 0. 19,469.

' To all whom it may concern:

and State of Pennsylvania, and CHARLES E. WILSON,a. citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Alleghenyand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improve mentin Starting Mechanism for Automobiles, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to starting mechanisms for automobiles andparticularly to such mechanisms as embody dynamo-elecfor actuatingpinions mto and out ternal combustion engines.

.Our invention has,. for. one of its ob jects, to provide a simple andeflicient means whereby a starting -motor may be operatively connectedto the shaft of an internal.

combustion engineby the reciprocation of partsof comparatively lightweight.

' A second object of our invention is to provide a simple arrangementwhereby an operative connection may be established be- ,tween thearmature of a dynamo-electric machine and an engine'shaft,-while littleor no torque is effective to rotate the armature. Y

It has been proposed to employ motors havingdisplaced armatures whichreciprocate to elfect the meshing of coacting gear tages, in that theyrequire the use of compllcated switching mechanisms 1 and resistors toprevent rotation of the armature until the gear wheels are placed inmesh. This arrangement is necessary because, in the displaced positionof the armature, the torque is sufliciently high to rotate thearmature'fat. a comparatively high rate of speed before the meshed. I

In the operation of motors having displaced armatures, the reciprocatingarts are very heavy and the shock resu ting from the engagement of theparts, in case the coacting gear teeth are not in register, mayseriously damage thegear teeth An excessively long commutator must beprovided in order that thebrushes will be in gearwheels are completelyengagement with it throughout the path of movement of the armature.

Accordlng to the present invention, we provide an electric motor havinga tubular armature shaft, in the bore of which a rod is mounted forlongitudinal slidable movement. The rod is connected to a pinion that isslidably mounted on the armature shaft for rotation therewith. Theslidable rod is controlled by an electromagnet that IS in series withthe field magnet winding of-the motor. The rotation of the motorarmature 1s temporarily delayed by the employment of a short-circuiteddamper winding which prevents a s udden increase in the intensity of themagnetic field of the motor upon the closing of its circuit.

The details of-our invention will be describedlin connection with theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side view, partiallyin-elevation and partially in section, of aportion of an engine flywheel .With our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic.v1ew of circuits and apparatus embodying our invention.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, an engine fly wheel 1, only a portionof which is shown, is provided with gear teeth 2. An electric -motor 3has a field-magnet frame 4 which may be'secured to any suitablestationary part of 'a motor vehicle. The mo- 7 tor has field-magnetpoles 5, each of which is provided with a coil 6 of a series fieldwinding and'a short-circuited coil 7 of a damper winding.

The motor armature 8 has a shaft 9 that is provided with alongitudinally extending bore 10. A rod 11, which is mounted forslidable movement therein, is connected, at one end, to a pinion 12 bymeans of a collar member 13 and nuts 14., The pinion 12 is slidablymounted on a portion 15 of the armature shaft 9 that is square in crosssection, .for rotation therewith. The position of the rod 11, relativelyto the armature [shaft 9, is controlledby an electromagnet nected to thecoil 18 of the electromagnet.

The other terminal ofthe coil 18 is connected to the motor windings by asuitable conductor 22.

The electrical connections of the motor and the electromagnetare'diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2. The motor may have,

for example, four poles, each of which is provided with a series fieldcoil 6 and a short-circuited coil 7 which constitutes a damperwinrling.- The motor circuit comprises the coil 18 of the electromagnet,a switch 23 anda storage battery. Une of the battery terminals and oneof the motor terminals are grounded, a single-wire system beingemployed.

To start the engine, the operator closes the switch 23 to complete themotor circuit. Current then flows from the ungrounded side of thebattery through the switch 23, the coil 18, motor armature 8 and seriesfield coils 6 to ground, and thence hack to the grounded side 01" thebattery. The coil 18 is immediately energized to actuate the core member19, the rod 13. and the pinion 12 to the left, as viewed Fig. 1, againstthe force of the spring 2d. The series field coils 6 will also heenergised, but a sudden increase in the flux traversing the field magnet poles his opposed by the short-circuitcd coils 'l'.

The damping en ect oil the coil occurs only during such time as thetends increase. The eiiect is, thcref'iore, to materially limit theli'lilX when the circuit is initially closed so that a very slighttorque, any, is effective to rotate the pinion 12 while it is beingmeshed with the gear teeth 2. lit has heen found, in practice, that thenormal torque of the motor is available substantially upon the completemeshing of the coacting teeth, The fly wheel. is there upon rotated tocrank the engine.

When the engine starts under its own power, the motor circuit may bebroken the switch 23. The coil 18 is then deern'n"- gizecl, and thespring 20, which has been compressed, will then return the core memher19, the rod ll and the pinion 12 to their respective illustratedpositions, with the pinion disengaged trom the fly wheel 1.

llf the operator fails to open the motor cir" cuit immediately after theengine starts, the motor will be driven at a rapidly increasing speed.The counter electromotive force of the motor is thereby increased toreduce current traversing i circuit to such value that the pull exertedlay the coil 18 is than the force of the spring 26, whereupon resentsthe rod 11 is shifted to its normal position and the pinion 12 isdisengaged from the gear teeth 2. It is obvious, therefore, that nodamage may be caused-by a failure to open the switch at the proper time.

Among other advantages possessed by a mechanism constructed inaccordance with our invention, it may be' noted that the reciprocatingparts are light in weight and are not an essential part of adynamo-electric machine. Because of this latter fact, it is notnecessary to provide a commutator of abnormal length or to rearrange themotor casing and bearings. The mechanism operates automatically upon theclosing of a single switch to efiect the meshing of the pinion with thefly wheel gear while little or no torque is efiiective to rotate thepinion, and

. the normal torque is efi'ective when the gear wheels are completelymeshed.

While we have shown and described a specific embodiment of ourinvention, it is understood that such modifications may be made as fallwithin the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit ofour invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. ln a starting mechanism, the combination with an electric motorhaving a hollow shaft, a rod within said shaft, and a pinionrotatable'with said shaft and connected to said rod for endwise movementtherewith, of an electromagnet in series with said motor for controllingthe position of said rod rela' tively to the shaft, and means fortemporarily retarding the operation of "the motor upon the closing ofits normal circuit.

2. In a starting mechanism, the combina tion with an engine gear wheel,an electric motor, and a gear wheel connected to said motor for ooactingwith the engine member, oi? an electromagnet for effecting the meshingof said gear wheels, a switch for controlhug the motor and theclectromagnet, and means independent of said switch for temporarilyretarding the operation of said motor upon the closing oi its normalcircuit,

5,- a 3. in a starting mechanism, the combination with an engine, a gearwheel connected thereto, an electric motor, and a pinion tor operativelyconnecting said motor said gear wheel, of means in circuit with themotor for controlling the engagement of said pinion with the gear wheel,and means for temporarily modifyingthe operation of the motorautomatically upon. the closure oil its normal circui In a mechanism,the combination with an engine member, an electric motor, and pair ofrelatively movable gear wheels an operatively connectin said inc-- torto engine member, of means in series with the motor for controlling theengagement of said gear wheels, and means for temporarily the operationof the motor automatically upon the closure of its normal circuit inorder that the meshingbf said gear Wheels may be effected before normaltorque is applied to the armature of said motor.

5. In a starting mechanism, the combination with an engine member, anelectric motor, and a pair of relatively movable gear wheels" foroperatively connecting said motor to said engine member, of means incircuit with the motor for effecting the meshing of said gear wheels,and a time-element device for controlling the torque of said motor uponthe closure of its normal circuit.

6. In a starting mechanism, the combination with an engine member. anelectric motor, and a pinion for operatively connecting said motor tosaid engine member, of means in circuit with the motor for controllingthe engagement of said pinion with the engine member, and means fortemporarily damping the fieldfiux of said motor upon the closure of itscircuit.

7. In a starting mechanism, the combination with an engine member, anelectric motor, and a pinion for operatively connecting said motor tosaidengine member, of means in circuitwith the motor for controlling theengagement of said pinion with the engine member, and means comprising ashort-circuited winding for temporarily controlling the intensity of themagnetic field of the motor upon the closure of its circuit.

8. In a starting mechanism, the combination with an engine member, agear wheel connected thereto and a shiftable member for coactingtherewith, of electro-responsive devices connected in series with asource of energy for actuating the shiftable member into and out ofengagement with said gear Wheel and for rotating said shiftable member,and automatic means for temporarily modifying the operation of therotatable device automatically .upon the closure of its normal circuit.

9. In a starting mechanism, the combination with an engine, a gear wheeloperatively connected thereto, an electric motor, and a pinion that islongitudinally shiftable relanation with an engine member, an electricmotor, and a pinion for operatively connecting said motor to said enginemember, of means in circuit with the motor for controlling theengagement of said pinion with the engine member, and clectro-responsivemeans inductively related to one of the motorwindings for temporarilypreventing the normal energization of one of the motor parts upon theclosure of the motor circuit.

11. In a starting mechanism, the combination with an engine, aseries-wound electric motor, and means for operatively connecting saidmotor to said engine, of means in circuit with said motor forcontrolling the engagement of said connecting means, and meansinductively related to the field-magnet winding of said motor fortemporarily preventing the normal energization of the magnetic field ofthe motor upon the closure of its circuit.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto- FRANK CONRAD. CHARLES E. WILSON.

